The actor wanted Wayans to “provoke” an emotional response while filming the 2025 sports thriller.
ByJaelani Turner-Williams
August 5, 2026
In seeking an authentic performance in Him, actor Tyriq Withers requested that his co-star Marlon Wayans joke about the death of Withers’ older brother on set.
Nearly one year after the release of the sports thriller, Withers spoke about his effort in merging his grief with the character Cameron “Cam” Cade in an interview with Variety.
Withers’ older brother, Kionte, died in a 2021 car accident, one year before the actor had a breakout role on the fourth and final season of Atlanta. Withers remains involved in the life of his late brother’s son.
“Marlon was like, ‘You sure?'” Withers told the publication. “God bless his soul. I wanted to give him permission to provoke a performance. I’m not saying this is healthy, but I was trying to infuse my real-life experience into the movie. I want to lay my whole life out there.”
Wayans’ jokes about Kionte proved to be particularly beneficial for a scene that he and Withers filmed where Isaiah White (Wayans) humiliates Cade.
“I think he was confident about his abilities, confident about his look, his charisma,” Wayans said. “I was able to push certain buttons because I came at him a different way, with the darkness within my humor.”
He added, “He asked, and it was brave of him to go there. You could see the effect in his eyes—and I just hugged him afterward.”
Released in September 2025, Himgrossed $27.8 million internationally but was poorly received by critics. Wayans defended the Justin Tipping-directed movie on social media, saying the film was “ahead of the curve” like White Chicksand Scary Movie.
